Benefits of flex in bigger waves

12-16-2011, 02:48 AM

I was just wondering whether you think flex becomes progressively less important as wave size increases. Not to say the durability of FW isn't important but my guess is that at a certain wave size flex becomes less important and indeed weight would be something you'd look to increase again. Waddaya reckon?

depends on what size wave you are talking but, I think flex is important as long as you are jamming turns, and dipping deeply off the bottom. Take a pipe bottom turn. I promise you every board ridden by those guys flexes off the bottom and the right flex will add pop and generate down the line speed. A safer statement would be that as wave height increases, weight increases and the flex tightens, but i think its misleading to say its not important. Take the converse too, imagine what a soft board would do if you went heavy on a rail at the bottom of a 15 footer.... so the "concept" of flex is critical, the "level" of flex is different.

I do however agree that when you get towed into a macking wave on a 6 foot board its less about flex and more about maintaining momentum....

It's a matter of being able to sink that board properly in the wave, get that rail and those fins grabbed onto the face.
As Chris said momentum will be crucial and board flex is an integral part of it
You could have a heavier guy on a longer board or a lighter guy on a smaller one. It's all proportionate. That's why there are quivers